How Dragonfruit turned this Clarence Valley bush block into a productive orchard

The South American native, also called Pitahaya, grows up its host like a snaking cactus and when mature sprouts limbs that look like dreadlocks.

Last year was the couple’s first harvest since transforming the eucalypt forest on clay at Glenugie to an orchard with mounded rows of home-made soil.

The 18 month old plants yielded two tonnes off 1000 plants.

This season’s first pick, in January, delivered almost as much and the couple expect their total harvest to more than double what they achieved in 2016.

The benefit of dragonfruit is that once established it produces for a long time, increasing in volume as it ages.

The Bishops did not enter this industry without experience, having come off an orchard at Grantham, Queensland, where for a dozen years Kevin managed stone fruit, avocados, figs and persimmons.

“But, we knew absolutely nothing about dragonfruit,” Mr Bishop said.

“Our only experience was that we had tried one in a shop and loved it.”

The Bishops prepared their soil with cow manure and fertiliser, but not much nitrogen, as the plants don’t like it.

“They don’t like chicken manure because it’s too strong,” Mr Bishop said.

Visits to dragonfruit orchards and selecting preferred varieties according to their taste resulted in an initial plant of 1000 cuttings representing 15 varieties that include Grant White, Jade and Trish.

“We also fell in love with Pink Panther,” Mr Bishop said.

The orchard is still growing with 300 new cuttings going in this year.

At the same time some varieties have been pulled out because they didn’t turn out as expected.

All plants were created from cuttings.

And while dragonfruit sets from seed, the process is five years too long.

It’s a sub tropical creature that tolerates heat, humidity and drought, but while it can survive a summer like the one we've just had, it doesn’t like it.

In fact, the summer was so hot with sustained temperatures above 38 degrees and a couple days in the mid-40s that some of their early maturing fruit literally stewed on the vine.

The Bishops are set up for irrigation and this summer appreciated that effort, particularly after flowering in early February.

This year there was no rain from that point until harvest and they ran their small dam dry.

With small fruit selling $2-$7, the couple are confident their venture will supplement an existing canvas business; maybe become something more.

“We’re hopeful it will become a retirement income,” Mr Bishop said.

“In fact the amount of work required to get a crop is perfectly suited to semi-retirement with just three applications of fertiliser throughout the year.

“We mostly apply cow manure and not too much.

“The plants don't like too much nitrogen. For instance chicken manure is too strong.”

While the couple cannot claim to grow organically, the orchard is chemical free for most of the time, using only copper as a fungicide during winter.

They say their pesticide use for caterpillars is minimal - particularly this year being so dry.

Most of their crop is sold in fresh produce shops at Coffs Harbour and Grafton as well as from their front door.

But, this year's harvest was big enough that they sent 200 trays from their first pick to Sydney markets to get rid of the volume.

Huge growers in the Northern Territory are ramping up production to the point that one Humpty-Doo grower sent 2000 trays to market on his first pick this year.

The Bishops are comfortable supplying local demand and are refining their varieties to concentrate on the most flavoursome.

“Ideally, we would like to concentrate on three or four main varieties,” Mr Bishop said.

With a vibrant pink skin, the dragonfruit is not hard to notice.

But, working up the courage to try it is an apparent barrier to success in the domestic market.

However, Brisbane buyer Craig Chard, ‘So Crisp’, says consumer demand in Australia increased noticeably in the last two years as new supply started to hit the market.

Recent plantings on the Atherton Tablelands, especially around Bundaberg, and most recently near Kingaroy were providing a reliable chain of product coming to Rocklea Markets.

Interestingly prices for fruit remain strong even as supply increases.

“Prices will increase as more fruit becomes available because that will fuel more demand,” Mr Chard said.

Until substantial supply is available the larger chain stores wouldn’t bother to stock them, he said.

Peak demand has mostly come from Australia's Asian communities which buys them for their colour and design.

“The Asian market is really enjoying them,” Mr Chard said.

“But, most people still don't understand the flavour of this fruit.

“They say it is bland, but you must eat it with something else like citrus and strawberries, bananas, even Kiwi fruit.

“The dragon fruit brings out the flavour of those other fruits with its vibrant colour.”

The southern tail of Vietnam is the adopted home of dragonfruit where orchards cover more than 35,000 hectares. Production has blossomed from 45,000 tonnes in 2000 to more than 700,000 tonnes at current harvest.

It was not always so. At the turn of the millenium only 5000ha were planted. In that time a lot has changed.

Key to standing out in the market is growing the right varieties of this fruit, which was improved upon in Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan - the adopted home of dragonfruit. Now it is Australia’s turn to experiment with this culinary experience. The fruit comes wrapped in a bright pink rubbery skin - think native beach plum. Cutting it in half yields the most remarkable ice-cream flesh, shiny as if it is covered in a sugar glaze and yet this fruit actually lowers glycemic blood count. It also looks better than it often tastes, with white varieties so subtle that they can tend towards savory. As the texture is to die for - softly crunchy - the dragon fruit is the perfect accompaniment to any number of modern salads.

Its self-pollinating flower is spectacular, blooming during full moon for one night only. The fruit has a growing reputation for returning health to the long suffering consumer with an ability to cleanse the palate, improve appetite and lower blood sugar. Mostly, of course, the colour-rich dragonfruit is an experience -  from pink rubber skin to a speckled flesh that yields to the tooth with a soft crunch.